Empire Cadillac of Long Island City — Attraction in New York

Stay far away from this horrible dealership! My husband was looking to update his 2018 Cadillac Escalade with a newer one for work. He checked online and found a used Escalade ESV being offered by Empire Cadillac on 10/3/24. The website states that with $2000 down, and a credit score below 580, clients with less than stellar credit would qualify. He filled out everything online (including his credit score, SSN, license information, etc.) and received a call from a saleswoman named Lulu the same day. She kept trying to get him to go to the dealership in person, but he stated that the purpose of filling out everything online, as stated by the website, was to make the car buying process simpler (otherwise what was the point); all he wanted to know was if he was approved for the vehicle with $2000 down or not (based on that information, he’d know whether to proceed or not). She stated she needed to speak with her finance manager and she’d call him back. He wound up calling HER to follow-up and after going back and forth, she hung up, then called back congratulating him on being “APPROVED” (apparently the finance manager needed to review his application - they had already run his credit so they knew EXACTLY what his score was). He only needed to pay the $2000 down payment, then come in to sign the paperwork. We gave her the credit card information and my card was charged that evening (remember, he was told he was approved). Yesterday, on 10/4/24, he went to the dealership to view/test drive the vehicle and sign the paperwork. No sooner than they started did the wait, switch, and bait occur. They brought him the paperwork and the fee went from $79k (after the $2000 deposit) to over $92k (taxes, fees, etc.)…all of a sudden, the amount being financed was well over what was advertised online (we expected taxes and small fees, but why did they add delivery fees on a used loaner that wasn’t just delivered??). Although my card was charged because my husband was “approved”, the finance manager (a guy named Mike) now “needed to work his magic”….work his magic for WHAT? He was already APPROVED the day before by the same finance manager per Lulu! All of sudden, Lulu was nowhere to be found and they left my husband sitting there for HOURS while they whispered to each other, ran around the dealership (there were hardly any customers) and continued to give him the run around when he pressed them on why there was a need for a cosigner and almost $16k more required for the down payment, etc. when he entered ALL of his information accurately via the website to begin with! Again, they ran his credit the day before on the 3rd BEFORE taking the $2000 deposit, so why were they acting like they had to “make magic happen”??? They used scummy dealership tactics to pull the old switch and bait! Obviously, my husband was upset; he specifically told Lulu he didn’t want to waste his (or their time); if it couldn’t be done with the $2000 down, that would have been fine. At least he would’ve had an idea of what was needed. Needless to say, I called them back for a refund to my card. Another salesperson, Edina, stated it could take 10-15 business days for the funds to be returned. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!! They should have NEVER charged my card if he wasn’t already APPROVED!! My credit card company initially blocked the charge; I mistakenly thought it was due to the amount (I mainly use that card for business travel). When I called this morning (10/5/24) to dispute the charges (after verifying a refund had not been started via the credit card website), they told me that when there’s a block on the card, it’s not due to the amount, it’s due to issues other customers have had with that specific merchant!! Do yourself a HUGE favor and stay away from this horrible dealership and their sneaky, lying sales teams and...

EDIT 08/17/2025 - unfortunately 275 miles in 2 weeks from lease date. My XT4 has now encountered a transmission issue and the car is almost underivable and needs to be towed. This happened with my last lease XT4 exactly 1 week in and the transmission also failed on a major highway and the car fully stopped running and not able to go to neutral.

EDIT 08/16/2025 - finally received a call from a different manager Frankie who has been very kind and helpful. Finally helped me set up a drop off any pick up for my vehicle and was very quick to follow up with updates and next steps.

(Due issue still being worked on, I will not include names yet)

My family has leased 1 Cadillac back when it was City cadillac and then 1 more after it became Empire. Both times, service and expectations were great (of course with the typical process of negotiating). This time around we were coming back as 3rd time buyers and it has all went downhill. I did not want to write a bad review, but the service this time around is unsatisfactory. First off, we leased a vehicle that had some damage in which was a PROMISE to have repaired, I'm not sure how they did not even notice until I mentioned initially. The agent we worked with was nice and reassured me it will 100% to be dealt with, fine. We go through the paperwork trying to keep our original plates to not have to pay a new plate fee, but after many many hours of waiting, they come back and somehow didn't realize that the original plate and new owner didn't match until after, so we had to now surrender plates and obtain new ones. FINE. We paid the fee it's okay.

We then see the car almost ready to the taken home, and see that the window sticker promised all weather mats, but none were in the car. They realized after we pointed it out and said none were in stock so they had to order. Fine. I said we can obtain when we come for the repair, in which they said would be soon as end to next week. The manager and the agent said they would reach out after the weekend. Nothing. After a few more days I call and he tells me that the mats were arriving the next day and he would send a photo and also let me know the loaner/repair situation.

NOTHING

I call back then another almost 10x and always was put on hold with someone telling me they would call me back. NOTHING

Finally I speak to a different manager whom I expressed that I was not getting any calls back, in which she said "I'm a manager, when I say I will call back, I will call back." She did NOT call back.

I call again next day and FINALLY I speak to a different manager, who actually called back, unfortunately, he doesn't know the situation and I told me he would call me back.

STILL WAITING.

I do NOT understand how it is SO hard to schedule this as it was a simple fix. You are trying to sell a vehicle in which you even state that it's been sitting around for a long time. I would think that customer satisfaction is priority as reviews and word of mouth could ruin a business.

I am NOT one to write these reviews, but it's been so frustrating I wish I could just end the lease and never come...

Extremely Disappointing Experience

My experience at this dealership was frustrating from beginning to end. I had a scheduled appointment to pick up a new Cadillac and was asked to complete all the necessary paperwork in advance. For several days leading up to my visit, I repeatedly requested final pricing details, only to be told each time that the manager would review everything in person.

Despite having an appointment, I was left waiting for over four hours, continuously reassured that I was “next” and it would only be “30 more minutes.” After two hours, I asked for the keys to my trade-in vehicle and said I would come back another time. Instead, I was told that since it was the end of the month, they were eager to finalize everything and “get me out of here” in my new car. They insisted that all my paperwork had already been completed, and my insurance updated, yet it still took another two hours from that point just to see a manager.

When I was finally seen, the pricing we had initially discussed was supposed to include everything except taxes, the document fee, and the first month’s payment. Instead, they attempted to add a $1,500 destination charge, a fee already included in the vehicle’s MSRP. When I questioned this, I was told I was mistaken and that this charge is added separately on a lease. However, even a quick online search confirmed this tactic, known as “double freight,” is a deceptive and well-documented way to inflate the vehicle’s cost.

To make matters worse, they tried to present themselves as doing me a favor by waiving the “admin fee” and only charging a “bank fee,” which are often just different names for essentially the same charge. The entire process felt more like a game of misdirection than a legitimate transaction. What disappointed me most wasn't just the surprise fees, it was the lack of integrity and the complete disregard for my time. From the moment I walked into the moment I left, over nine hours were wasted due to avoidable delays and evasive practices.

Bottom line: If you're considering this dealership, proceed with extreme caution. Scrutinize every detail, question every fee, and be prepared to spend your entire day there. Transparency isn't a bonus, it's a basic expectation that this dealership failed to meet.

UPDATE: After speaking with both the manager and sales representative who assured me they would resolve the issue and follow up by Monday at 11 AM, two weeks have passed with no action taken. I’ve followed up twice and received no response. This experience has been extremely disappointing. They asked me to remove my reviews but have done nothing to actually address or resolve...